What Marketers Should Know about Brand Advocates

What Marketers Should Know about Brand Advocates

Does your business have a designated Social Media manager? Or perhaps you are in the Marketing department and lead the Social Media efforts for the business. Either way, when engaging with fans, followers, etc. you must exhibit that your business values the relationships created by being truly authentic and trustworthy. Often times, this is best conveyed via Social Media.

Set your brand apart from the competition by being truly authentic when engaging with customers, fans, followers, etc. For example, don’t filter out negative feedback from customers (unless the feedback is inappropriate ie. includes profanity). No one believes 100% of positive feedback posted on a website or social pages anyway. Give your followers the tools to tell their truth about you and your brand because that is what people trust, and people buy from what they trust. However, it’s key to honestly address all of the issues around the negative feedback as it is an opportunity to turn an unsatisfied customer into a repeat customer when handled appropriately.

Brand advocates are those people who are so satisfied by your product/service that they can’t wait to tell their friends and their whole social networks about the experience. Friends trust friends who are brand advocates. They will purchase a recommended product and, if that experience is exceeds their expectations, they too, become a new advocate and your circle of brand advocates gets bigger. To achieve this kind of relationship, communication must be clear, relevant and reflect your business’ authentic personality.

How do you even find prospective brand advocates? They are everywhere! Events you attend, your customers, prospective customers, etc. For example, it is unbelievable how many businesses never bother to connect with the people they meet after an event. Instead, add people to your contact file, and connect with them via Social Media (you’ll be surprised how many people you can find on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, etc.). And if your business wants to stay ahead of the game; create a personal contact file for each contact include where you met the contact (name of event and date), and anything else you remember about the engagement to note in the file. Then, in the next communication exchange whether it be via e-mail or phone, you are able to reference previous engagements and/or specific topics of interest when connecting again in the future.

Does your business have brand advocates? If so, how often do you connect with them and just how much do you know about them?